Propelling vessels.



No. 800,184. f

R.ST0LA.

`IPROPELLING VESSELS. APPLIOATION FILED JAN. no, 1005.

c f V if y? fr:

l K 'l mgm/Q @w50 PATBNTED SEPT. ze, 1005. n

' faim? mmwgl Rocco sToLA, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

` PROPELLING vEssELs. i

T0 @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROCCO STOLA, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of the Bronx, city and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improve-r` ment in Propelling Vessels, of which the following is a specification.

The invention is adapted for use in all situ-Vl ations, but is more especially intended for service over Shoals and ledges and among logs v and other obstructions, as telegraph-cables. I provide for drawing the screws entirely within the hull and moving them out again at will and for doing this easily and rapidly.

I provide two screw-propellers at or near the mid-length of. the vessel, with means for thrusting each downward into a position where it can act efficiently on the/water when it is to be used. Each propeller is mounted in acasing, which I will term a well, extending froman opening in the bottom up to any height desired. lt may be quite out through the upper deck. The lower end of each well is iared at the front and rear, so that the water flnds ready access at the front and also ready discharge at the rear even when the propeller is drawn up so as to be entirely protected withinthe general lines of the bottom. y

I provide efficient and convenient means for raising and lowering the propellers as rapidly and frequently as shall ever be required without necessarily stopping or even slowing the revolutions.

In case of accident from any cause my propellers may be drawn up to an extra height for examination and repairs. Under favorable conditions they may be lowered com-Y pletely below the bottom, so as to act with the fullest efficiency.

I prefer to make the screws single thread and will represent the invention as thus carried out. -The driving means communicate the power at both. ends of each shaft and attain this lin all stagesof elevation, greatly increasing the chances of success after a failure of a vportion of the mechanism. This is especially important in war practice.l P The propeller on either side can be Worked slower or faster, so as to aid in steering or to effect the steering alone. y

The following is a description of what I consider the best means of carrying out the invention.

The accompanying drawings form a part of `this specification.

Figure l is a plan view. The upper half Specicaton of Letters Patent. Application filed January 201905. -Serial No. 241,997.

Patented Sept. 26, 1905.

`shows the preferred form and will be first described. The lower half shows a modification and will be referred tolater. Fig. 2 is a corresponding cross-section on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view seen from below. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a portion of the propeller and adriving-shafton a larger scale. Fig. 5 is a side View, partly in longitudinal section, on the line 1 1 in Figs. 2 and 3.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where they appear.

Both ends are alike, each adapted to serve as the bow and each made with a strongly-shod forefoot adapted to serve on hard or rocky bottom. y

A A designate the water-tight wells, of which there are two, one on eachy side near the mid-length. The two are counterparts each of the other. I Will describe one alone.'

A2 A2 indicate the Hares at the front and jrear, respectively, at the lower end of the well. These fiares allow the water to enter A indicates the general hull of the vessel. l

andl be discharged easily and to be acted on to propel the vessel, even when the propeller is fin its partly-raised position, completely inclosed in the lower portion of the well.

M is a carriage inclosed in the well and vertically movable therein. Its interior, as indicated by m, is adapted to give a clear and easy sweep for the revolutions of the inclosed propelling-screw. The ends M M2 of 'the carlriage are wedge-shaped in horizontal section.l lSo are also the ends of the well. I prefer the proportions about as shown in Fig. 3. y D represents electric motors of the class .adapted to be reversed by reversing the current, and D and D2 are efficient insulated conductors connecting through switches D3 with dynamos driven by steam-engines. or other sources of electric energy. (Not shown.)

The motorsD have each a rigidly-connected Wheel E, revolved thereby, and the wheels E are engaged by feathers C C, respectively, with upright shaftsG and H, which are allowed to move endwise up and down through the respective motors, but are compelled to turn therewith. The lower ends of shafts latter engage, respectively, with beveled gearwheels I I2, keyed on the ends, respectively, of a horizontal shaft I, which latter is the shaft of the propeller and is mounted in suitable bearings in the carriage.

I3 is a broad thin screw-blade xed on the `Gr H carry beveled gear-wheels G H', which' IOO Itol

shaft I and revolved thereby. It is tapered at the ends and effects the propelling ofvthe vessel without liability of injury or being itself injured by hawsers, chains, electric cables, or the like, which my vessel may be required to work among.

M3 is a sufiiciently stout upright screw having a smooth bearing M4 with collars M M at its lower end. This screw is connected with liberty to revolve in the upper portion of the center of each carriage M. The long threaded portion is received in a correspondinglythreaded cross-girder or bridge-tree AAi in the top of the corresponding well and controls the height, each carriage being raised and lowered independently as its screw is turned. A motor E2, entirely independent of the motor D, is arranged to turn this elevating-screw M3 by a feathered wheel E. The current from the dynamo to the motor is controlled 4by a switch B of any appropriate description.

The screw M3 and its connections compel the elevation or descent, no matter how much gravity tends to depress or the strong action of the propeller on the smooth water or the upward force of the sea in heavy weather may tend to hold it stationary or even to lift it.

By properly adjusting the switch B the motor E2 will be turned in the direction to raise the carriage M and its propeller I3, while the motors D may be acting to strongly and continuously revolve its pair of upright drivingshafts G and H. By reversing its switch the force of the motor is applied to turn the screw M3 in the opposite direction and compel the propeller to sink. By holding the switch in the middle position the screw M3 will remain motionless and there will be no elevation or depression of the propeller. This latter is the condition which obtains all the time, except in exigeneies.

The above shows the mechanism for raising` and lowering on one side of the vessel. There is a corresponding set of apparatus to operate'and to lower and raise the propeller and its adjuncts on the opposite side of the vessel. Each can be worked independently.

It will be obvious that my mechanism can aid in the steering or even can effect the steering alone when moving at any speed or when it is desired to turn without going ahead at all. Ordinary steering can be effected or aided by slightly reducing the force of propulsion on one side. When very rapid turning or keeping' a straight course in whirling currents is required, the motors on one side may continue turning in the direction to go ahead, and the motors on the other side may be completely stopped or even may be re-` versed.

Parts of the invention can be used without the whole. Other means than electric motors may be employed to effect the continued and strong revolutions of the propeller-shafts and also to effect the occasional or frequent raising and lowering of them so long as the peculiarities of the other features are preserved. The lower side ol Eig. Vl and the right side of Fig. 2. show provisions for attaining this, while theI power for the whole isderived from one motor shown as an oscillating steam-engine. In this -modilication the two pi-(niellers 1, with their shafts I and their carriages .\l and also their upright driving-shafts(1` and H, are arranged as before described. The screws M and cross-girders or bridge-trees A4 may be as before; but instead of electric motors D for the propelling and electric motors for raising there are worm-wheels J, feathered on the shafts G and lil, ready to receive the propelling power through worms and worin-wheels T, feathered on the screws M3, ready to receive power to raise and lower the propeller-carriagcs M. P is a steam-engine continuously revolving a horizontal shaft P, having a bevel gear-wheel l. The latter by engaging a bevel gear-wheel Q revolves an upright shaft which is provided with a bevel-gear S and operates to revolve the longitudinal shaft S through said gear S and one or other of the gears R2 R. These gears R3 are feathered on the shaft S and interconnected by the sleeve R. The shaft S carries two worms S:i and S, which engage, respectively, with the worm-wheels J and drive the propeller. g

Motion is transmitted to shaft l of propeller 13 through the gears S' Rf and shalt S for working in one direction. For working in the other direction the gears R hf and sleeve R must be shifted. This is done by moving the lever R. The shiftin disengagcs the bevel-gear R2 from the bevel-gear S and engages the bevel-gear R therewith.

The raising and 'lowering of the carriages is effected byturning the wheels T, which correspond to the motor-wheels E of the form first described, except that inst .ad of employing electric motors each is a worm-wheel. Each wheel T is engaged by a worm U on a longitudinal shaft U, which receives motion through its bevel-gear U2 from one or other of the bevel-gears V V, which are interconnected by the sleeve V. feathered on a transverse shaft TV and controlled in position by a handle VV, which is within convenient reach of the engineer. The shaft \V has a bevelgear W2, through which it always receives rotary motion from the gear-wheel S' in the. same direction. The motion is transmitted to the shaft U in one direction or the other or is not transmitted in either direction, accord ing to the position of the sleeve V and the gears V' V2, which are interconnected thereby. When the gear V engages the gear U, the shaft U is revolved in one direction. Then the gear V2 engages the said gear U 5, the shaft U is revolved in the opposite direction. When the sleeve V is by its handle W set in its middle position, neither of its gear- IOO ' shaft Uisnot revolved, and the propeller is `the advantages of the invention.

not raised or lowered. This is the condition for ordinary working; but when diiiculties are encountered the handle W is worked and the screws are turned to raise and lower, as required. y f

Other modifications may be made without departing from the principle or sacrificing Instead of locating the wells at the mid-length of the .Vessel they may be further toward the bow or nearer the stern. One well and one set of propelling means alone'may be of service in some cases.

With two wells, each open-topped, as shown, no changes are required to'adapt the invention for submarine vessels.

I claim as my invention- 1. As a means for propelling and steering, a hull constructed witha well in combination with a carriage having wedge-shaped ends adapted to be raised or lowered therein, means for raising and lowering such carriage, a propeller mounted in such carriage and means for revolving the latter all arranged to serve substantially as herein 'specied 2. As a means for propelling and steering, a hull constructed with a well in combination with a carriage having wedge-shaped ends adapted to be raised and lowered therein, means for raising and lowering such carriage, a propeller mounted in such carriage and means for revolving it arranged on one side of the center line of the hull and with another corresponding set of mechanism and propelling means on the opposite side of the center line all adapted to serve substantially as hereends adapted to be raised and 'lowered therein, means for raising and lowering such carriage, a propeller mounted in suchcarriage and means for revolving itnall arranged to serve substantially as herein specied.

4. As a means for propelling and steering, a hull constructed with a well in combination with a carriage having wedge-shaped ends adapted to be raised and lowered therein, means for raising and lowering such carriage, a propeller. mounted in such carriage and means for revolving. it arranged on one side of the center line, the power being communicated to the propeller through upright shafts with bevel gears feathered connections adapted to serve substantially as herein specified. y

5. As a means for propelling and steering, a hull constructed with a well in combination with a carriage having wedge-shaped ends adapted to be raised orlowered therein, means for raising and lowering such carriage, a propeller mounted in such carriage and means for revolving it, the power being communicated to the propeller through upright shafts with bevel-gears and feathered connections and with an independent motor for each shaft and controlling means therefor all adapted to serve substantially as herein specified. v 6. Asa means for propelling and steering, a hull constructed with a well in combination with a carriage havingwedge-shaped ends adapted'to be raised or lowered therein, a

propeller mounted in such carriage and means for revolving it, the power being communicated to the propeller through upright shafts with bevel-gears and feathered connections and with elevating-screws and' independent motors for each, for rapidly raising and depressing the carriages, all substantially as herein specified. Y l v Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 14th day of January, A. D. 1905.

Rocco sfroLA. 

